drewd

They do a complete engine coolant flush...$100+, depending on location. Plus, they change all the filters, air, fuel, etc. Oil change, tire rotation. 200 clams, easy, if not more.

When you say "unplugged", i hope you mean it was simply bypassed. If it was bypassed properly and there are no leaks then your car is not over-heating because of the heater core. If the place where the hoses were spliced is leaking then your engine will eventually seize since you'll run out of coolant.

I'm no mechanic, but a blown head gasket shouldn't cost you that much...depending on the vehicle, it's about a 900 +/- dollar job and shouldn't take more than 5 days to complete. As for your heater core, that's a real pain in the butt to fix. The part itself cost only cost about 40-50 clams, but i know for a fact that mechanics hate to replace them. They have to go behing the fire wall to get to it and that means taking apart the whole dash board. Bypassing the heater core is only a temporary solution and not a fix...it could cause problems down the road if you leave it that way. Not only that, but your car would be a bear to drive in the winter! But, not as bad as anti-freeze laden smoke pouring through the vents!

Howdy! I've got a '03 outback with 32k miles on it. I've been hearing a low "chirping" noise like a cricket coming from the engine for a long time. It was a sporadic noise, so i didn't pay too much attention to it for a year or so. Well, now its getting much louder and obnoxious, so i took it back to the dealer and they said i needed a new idler pulley. The mechanic said not to drive it until it is replaced or it may seize. I was wondering if i should be worrying about other damage to the engine caused by this...like perhaps the timing belt being off? I haven't noticed the engine running hotter than usual.